Automatic hitching device for teams.



B. BROWNFIELD. 7 AUTOMATIC HITGHING DEVICE FOR TEAMS.

APPLICATION FILED D150. 21, 1907.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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EWING BROWNFIELD, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO CHARLES W. EISENBEIS, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA.

AUTOMATIC HITCHING DEVICE FOR TEAMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed December 21, 1907. Serial No. 407,600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EWING BROWNFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Hitching Devices for Teams, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hitching devices for teams in connection with vehicles, in which a rope-winding drum is mounted upon a shaft positioned parallel with the rear axle of the vehicle, one end of said shaft having secured thereon a pinion adapted to engage a toothed wheel secured upon one of the rear hubs, to rotate said drum and wind up the rope provided with auxiliary reins secured to the ordinary reins which guide the team; the said device possessing the novel construction of being thrown into operative position by the driver rising from the seat, all of which will hereinafter be fully explained.

The objects of my invention are: first, to provide a convenient means for causing a team to stand at any desired time and place; second, to prevent teams from running away; third, that no time shall necessarily be consumed in hitching the team; fourth, to provide a device which shall be comparatively inexpensive and adapted to be attached to a great variety of vehicles.

I. attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a right side elevation of a vehicle provided with one of my hitching devices; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the device, obscuring parts being omitted; Fig. 4 is a plan of the bell-crank lever with portions of its rod connections; Fig. 5 is a part sectional plan on line 90, Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the vehicle box, with a seat support B having a drivers seat B hinged thereto and having secured to its underside as at a, a vertical switching bar I) having its lower end I) wedge-shaped, the front edge of which engages the anti-friction roller 0 secured on the front end of the operating rod d, having a portion 0 of its forward end bent at a right angle, the bent portion being of sufficient length to extend through a slot 6 in the side of the vehicle box A and extend through the anti-friction roller 0, see Figs. 1 and 2. To provide a guide and support to the wedge portion of said switching bar I) the guide plate f having a guiding flange is secured to the inner surface of the side 0 the vehicle box A, to insure positive action in switching the device out of gear, see Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

To the rear axle C of the vehicle are secured forwardly extending shaft-supporting arms g and g, having journaled in their front ends the rotatable shaft h, havin secured upon one end a toothed pinion '5 adapted to mesh into a toothed rim-wheel i secured upon the inner end of the hub j of one of the rear vehicle wheels. Upon said rotatable shaft h is mounted a winding'drum D, one end being 1provided with a ratchet D, engaged by t e pawl-pin 7c extending through the shaft h, the engagement between the ratchet and said pin being maintained by the spiral spring Z on said shaft 71., one end of said spring pressing against the drum D, its opposite end resting against the shaft supporting arm g, see Figs. 2 and 3. The right end of the shaft it has secured thereon a swivelclevis m, having pivotally secured thereto the compensating bar n having pivotally secured to its free end the lower end of the vertical disengaging lever 0 having its upper end pivotally secured in any convenient manner to the under surface of the vehicle box A, as at 0, the said swivel permits the drum sup porting shaft h to rotate when the device is in gear; the compensating bar a is designed to remove all difficulties arising from the vertical vibration of the vehicle box and the consequent vibration of the lower end of the disengaging lever 0, which controls the longitudinal movement of the said shaft h, to throw the device out of gear, the office of the spiral spring Z, being to force the device into gear. To control the movements of the disengaging lever o, intermediate its ends is pivotally attached one end of the connecting rod p, its opposite end being attached to the rear arm q of the bell crank q pivotally secured to the under surface of the vehicle boX, and havin attached to its other arm Q the rear end of the operating rod d.

The drum D has secured thereto one end of the rope r which asses upwardly and forwardly over the pul eys s, t and a, secured to the under surface of-the vehicle box, A and having attached to its front end the auxiliary check-reins o and '0 v To the under surface of the seat B issecured the latching-bolt w, designed to hold the said seat down and thus hold the device out of gear whenever desired, which sometimes occurs, especially during disuse.

In operation, the auxiliary check-reins o and o are snapped into the rein buckles or rings for that purpose, of theordinary reins;

as the driver sits upon the seat B his weight presses it down upon its sup ort B, at the same time the wedge portion of the operating bar I) presses the roller 0 forward including the operating rod (2, causing the bellcrank g to assume the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the vehicle is active and the device is out of gear, as in Fig. 3; as the driver arises from the seat B, the spiral spring Z forces the shaft h longitudinally and the pinion 7', into gear with the toothed wheel i, upon the wheel hub j, see Figs. 2 and 4; in this position the vehicle is at a stand, and any forward movement causes the drum D to wind the rope 1' and draw the horses reins taut, thus preventing them from going forward, while any rearward movement relieves the rein tension. To accommodate reachless and cut-under vehicles the operating rod 01 is provided with an upward offi set (1. I

n having one of its ends pivota Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In the combination of a vehicle and hitching device for teams, having a rearaxle with wheels carrying the same, the hub of one of said wheels having a toothed rimwheel secured thereon, a rotatable shaft parallel with said axle with a pinion secured on one of its ends and adapted to engage the said rim-wheel, a rope-winding drum .mounted upon said shaft; the swivel m secured upon said shaft to provide attachments thereto and permit its rotation; a compensating bar ly secured to said swivel to control thelongitudinal movement of said shaft and to provide for the vertical inequalities of the vehicle box; a verti cal disengaging bar 0 having its upper end secured to the under surface of the vehicle box and having its lower end attached to the said compensating bar; a connecting rod 19 having one of its-ends attached to said disengaging bar-intermediate its ends; a bell-crank lever q secured to the under surface of the vehicle box and having attached to one of its arms the said connecting rod; an operating rod d having an upward off-set and having its rear end attached to said bell-crank lever to actuate the same, the forward end of said connecting the said drum wit with an anti-friction roller thereon; a vertical switching-bar I) having its lower end wedge shaped to engage the roller and actu ate said rod, the upper end of said bar being attached to the vehicle seat; a guide plate f secured to the inner surface of the vehicle box to forma sup ort to the said opleratingbar; a series of p leys secured to t e under surface 'of the vehicle box to sup ort the rope V the checkreins which control the team, the spiral spring 1 encompassing the drum shaft and having one of its ends engage said drum and its opposite end abutting the shaft support to force the device into gear, for the purposes set forth. 7 r

2. In the combination of a vehicle having wheels and axles and a hitching device for teams; a toothed ring secured upon one of the hubs of the vehicle; a drum shaft su. ported by and parallel with the vehicle ax e and having upon its outer end a toothed pinion adapted to mesh into the. said toothed operating rod having a right angled bend ring to rotate said shaft; a ro )e-winding drum t secured upon said shaft to wlnd taut the rope connected with the lines or reins of the team; the swivel secured upon the inner end ofthe said shaft to permit its free rotation;,a compensating bar it having one of its ends pivotally secured to said swivel by which to move said shaft longitudinally; the spiral spring Z loosely mounted u on said shaftto hold in engagement the said toothed ring and pinion; the vertical disengagin bar 0 having its lower end pivotally attached pensating bar and its upper end pivotally, attached to the vehicle box to aid in disengaging the said ring and'pinion'; a connecting rod 19 having one of its endsattached to said' disengagin bar intermediate its ends; alever pivotally secured to the under portion. of the vehicle box and having attached to one of its ends the said connecting rod to aid in dison aging said ring and pinion; an operating ro d having an upward off-set and having,- its rear end attached tosaid lever to actuate the same the forward end of said operating rod having a right angle bend with a rollerto the said comsecured thereon to throw the device out of j tac led to and operatedbythe drivers seatf for the purposes set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

R. G. BLooMrrELn, RoY 0. SHORT.

EWING BROWNFIELD 1 

